Falling Leaves: The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter

The story of an unwanted Chinese daughter growing up during the Communist Revolution, blamed for her mother's death, ignored by her millionaire father and unwanted by her Eurasian step mother. A story of greed, hatred and jealousy; a domestic dramais played against the extraordinary political events in China and Hong Kong. Written with the emotional force of a novel but with a vividness drawn from a personal and political background. "Falling Leaves" has become a surprise bestseller all over the world.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:

Snow White's stepmother looks like a pussycat compared to the monster under which Adeline Yen Mah suffered. The author's memoir of life in mainland China and--after the 1949 revolution--Hong Kong is a gruesome chronicle of nonstop emotional abuse from her wealthy father and his beautiful, cruel second wife. Chinese proverbs scattered throughout the text pithily covey the traditional world view that prompted Adeline's subservience. Had she not escaped to America, where she experienced a fulfilling medical career and a happy marriage, her story would be unbearable; instead, it's grimly fascinating: Falling Leaves is an Asian Mommie Dearest.

From the Publisher:

The emotionally-wrenching yet uplifting memoir of a Chinese woman struggling to win the love and acceptance of her family. Set amidst the political upheaval of a turbulent century, Falling Leaves is an enthralling saga of a prosperous Chinese family that spans this century and that reveals the effects of communism and capitalism on a family caught between East and West. Written in a haunting and compelling prose, this brilliant narrative evokes all the suspense and emotional force of a novel.

Book Description Penguin Books, London, 1997. Paperback. Book Condition: Mint. First Thus. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Adeline Yen Mah's childhood in China during the civil war was a time of fear, isolation and humiliation. The cause of this was not political upheaval but systematic emotional and physical abuse by her step-mother and siblings, and rejection by her father. The paperback book is in mint condition throughout. Bookseller Inventory # 001752